Newcastle United paid Blackburn Rovers £6m for Grant Hanley last summer – but he could be on his way again with Derby County and Wolves interested.
Derby’s Nick Blackman
It’s not often Derby County supporters can legitimately praise their club’s recruitment policy. After all, few sides have wasted money quite like The Rams in recent seasons with underwhelming big-money deals for the likes of Nick Blackman, Matej Vydra and Ikechi Anya only the tip of the iceberg.
Yet, at least they didn’t spend £6 million on Blackburn Rovers captain Grant Hanley and then proceed to hand him just five Championship starts all season (Daily Mail).
Because that is exactly what Newcastle United did. The Scotland international appeared an astute addition at St James’ Park when they dropped down into the Championship, his wealth of second tier experience certain to come in handy for manager Rafael Benitez.
However, after a shaky debut performance in an opening day defeat at Fulham, Hanley immediately dropped down the pecking order. So much so that he’s only been trusted to begin another four league games all season as Newcastle snatched the title on the final day.
Now, Newcastle’s promotion, coupled with Benitez’s apparent desire to reinforce his defensive ranks amid links with Harry Maguire, Ryan Shawcross and Wes Morgan, means Hanley’s first-team prospects have been reduced further.
Therefore, the Scottish Sun reports that Derby will challenge Wolves to offer Hanley an escape route out of St James’ Park. However, after his debut season on Tyneside became something of a write-off, it is unlikely that The Magpies will earn back the £6 million they paid last summer – such is their apparent desperation to offload him. They certainly won’t be able to ask for more.
Therefore, Derby could secure the defender on a cut-price deal in the coming weeks. For once, it appears that The Rams could pull off a bargain.
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